EDITORIAL: Disaster not over; Gulf needs our support

EDITORIAL: Disaster not over; Gulf needs our support

Oil has stopped gushing from BP's failed well in the Gulf of Mexico, and a federal report claims most of the spilled oil has been dispersed or contained. As encouraging as that sounds, the impact of this disaster won't be over until residents of the Gulf Coast say it is over.

Until then, we should not let BP or the government declare victory and depart. The lives of people from the Florida Panhandle to Louisiana have been disrupted. They have suffered through tremendous loss. In many cases, jobs are

gone and property values have plummeted. For them, the end is not yet in sight.

The runaway well has been plugged. On Thursday, after 106 days, BP used cement in a 'static kill' operation that took about five hours

. That isn't the final step. Later this month, a relief well will be finished, allowing more cement and mud to be injected. That is supposed to seal the well for good. We certainly hope so.

It appears the Gulf is resilient. A team of federal scientists estimates that more than a quarter of the 206 million gallons of spilled oil is degradi

ng naturally or through chemical dispersants. Perhaps another quarter of it has been sucked up, skimmed or burned off.

Even if those estimates — based on formulas, not hard evidence — turn out to be accurate, there is still a huge amount of oil

in the water. It may not be easy to see, but that doesn't mean it isn't causing damage to the environment. Nor do we know the long-term impact of the chemical dispersants used to break up the oil. It is too soon to know the ecological damage.

There will be renewed pressure on President Barack Obama to lift the moratorium on deepwater drilling before its scheduled end on Nov. 30. We hope to see that happen. Not only do we need domestic sources of oil, but resuming drilling also is necessary for the economic recovery of the region. Many jobs are tied to the industry.

But there must be stronger safeguards. Equipment and oversight need to improve. The industry's own evaluation shows equipment used undersea has lower quality ratings than equipment used on land, even though the technical challenges of drilling in deep water are much higher.

The 'long-stem' process used by BP for the Deepwater Horizon well is known to be riskier than other methods. Sen. Spencer Bachus, R-Ala., told The Tuscaloosa News editorial board earlier this week that other oil companies such as Chevron won't use 'long-stem' drilling in deep water because of safety concerns.

The beaches on the Alabama Gulf Coast are clean. Commercial and recreational fishing soon w

ill resume. But the region won't really get back on its feet until tourists return.

We need to support our neighbors to the south. If you have put off a vacation to Alabama's shore, this is a great time to escape the inland heat. Doing a good deed has never been more enjoyable.

5 comments:

I have a lot of questions about resuming. With all the mystery and media black out over the Gulf Gusher it seems extremely dangerous and a little premature to think it is time to resume all activities, fishing, tourist industries and drilling. The Gulf Oil Gusher and subsequent lack of adequate oversight, has proven how devastating this type of situation can be, and if another should happen, then what?We are stuck on oil, and I call that stuck on stupid. We are stuck on what the commercial/corporate world can do for/to us, in the form of commercial oil, commercial fishing and commercial tourism, but we miss the point that all this commerce feeds the big boys many times over than it feeds the common man. What happens over and over again, is we resign to a band aide on cancer, accept faulty oversight and attempt to move on with our lives, making no real responsible changes ourselves. Our need to survive has us all complicit in the destruction of this planet and we need to make a severe right turn away from continuing in this vain. If we don't take note on all these spills, China, Nigeria, Michigan, Alaska, Russia, on and on, we are going to die a slow painful death, until they hit that one artery that Mother Earth cannot handle. The lies, the coverups and the government complicity around the planet is causes diversion from the true story. To me, that story is that we are all responsible for killing life on this planet, and until we get that together, we will face continue sabotage and subversion, and being dragged by the balls, because the Big Banks know, WE REALLY CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT THEM!! So why should they change any regulations, secure any equipment to higher safety levels, why, when we will just go back to our usual lives of destruction of the planet anyway... Mother Earth is the only planet we have, she has given us an abundance of beauty in the animal/human, vegetation, amazing caverns and mountains, amazing oceans and seas, yet, we pour our toxic waste into her and upon her, oblivious to the slap in the face we give her, we destroy her forests and mines, we kill her animals and her people so that we can continue to "survive"? Have? Consume? In the race to the top, we will find ourselves at the bottom covered with oil, once again. Sad to say:(

While the beaches on the Alabama coast may appear to be clean, I spent a few days last week in Orange Beach...the sand looks clean and the water is disgusting. Their is a thin sheen on top of the water that coats your body. If you choose to sit in the water and allow your body to come into contact with any of the small shells then you have oil stains on your swim suit and body. The hotels provide a bottle of Dawn and a very uncomfortable scrub brush to get these residues off of you. So.....are the beaches in Alabama really clean?????

"The lives of people from the Florida Panhandle to Louisiana have been disrupted. They have suffered through tremendous loss. In many cases, jobs are gone and property values have plummeted. For them, the end is not yet in sight."

This is exactly what is often forgotten. There was talks in the previous weeks about the "interest" in the Gulf Oil Spill to be waining. However, there are still fisherman and their families devastated by what has happened and unable to recover. It is sad and must be stopped. Luckily, there is a way to help.

I am part of an organization called Citizen Effect. Through the combined efforts with Catholic Charities of America, during a fact-finding mission Gulf, we have found that what is truly necessary isn't monetary funds thrown at these families with a note attached that says, "Good Luck." Rather, we are interested in providing fishing families find a new, more sustainable future through education.

On August 25, the 5th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina there is a nationwide call to action for the sake of good where people around the country people are organizing or joining gulf coast benefits.

Be a part in the push to help those who may not be able to help themselves. Join us!

Who is BP Slick

John L. Wathen, Hurricane Creekkeeper, located in Tuscaloosa County Alabama. I am the enforcement and advocacy branch of the Friends of Hurricane Creek.
Photographer / videographer, I have dedicated my life to exposing the truth about pollution and lack of accountability by the industries and agencies who use our waterways as waste conduits.